Ultimate 2D console

[Kitsunexus]

I don't know about the PCFX, even the most impressive 2D games on it aren't as impressive as Saturn and PSX 2D games.  The Saturn was a beast, although the PCFX definitely had the advantage in full screen video playback.

Well that depends. Do you mean the stock Saturn, or a Saturn with an MPEG card?

[Keranu]

I don't know about the PCFX, even the most impressive 2D games on it aren't as impressive as Saturn and PSX 2D games.  The Saturn was a beast, although the PCFX definitely had the advantage in full screen video playback.

I don't quite mean graphic wise, but gameplay wise since it was a 2D only console during the beginning of an age of 3D consoles. It could've benefitted from improved previous 2D games as well as innovating new kinds of 2D games. Graphically however I think the system could've been pushed waaay more as well with all that power in it to look just as good as 2D Saturn and PS1 games, but for what we got, it doesn't look a whole lot better than PCE's nicer games.

[Kitsunexus]

I don't know about the PCFX, even the most impressive 2D games on it aren't as impressive as Saturn and PSX 2D games.  The Saturn was a beast, although the PCFX definitely had the advantage in full screen video playback.

I don't quite mean graphic wise, but gameplay wise since it was a 2D only console during the beginning of an age of 3D consoles. It could've benefitted from improved previous 2D games as well as innovating new kinds of 2D games. Graphically however I think the system could've been pushed waaay more as well with all that power in it to look just as good as 2D Saturn and PS1 games, but for what we got, it doesn't look a whole lot better than PCE's nicer games.

They were both conceived as 2D only consoles. However, while one saw the writing on the wall and added hardware 3D capability, the other chose to tough it out and died a miserable death.

Have no pity, it's simply survival of the fittest.

[nat]

I don't know about the PCFX, even the most impressive 2D games on it aren't as impressive as Saturn and PSX 2D games.  The Saturn was a beast, although the PCFX definitely had the advantage in full screen video playback.

I don't quite mean graphic wise, but gameplay wise since it was a 2D only console during the beginning of an age of 3D consoles. It could've benefitted from improved previous 2D games as well as innovating new kinds of 2D games. Graphically however I think the system could've been pushed waaay more as well with all that power in it to look just as good as 2D Saturn and PS1 games, but for what we got, it doesn't look a whole lot better than PCE's nicer games.

Have you played Zenki? Zenki kind of hinted at what the PCFX might be capable of graphics-wise in a 2D platformer environment. There are some shots in that game you'd swear were polygons (most likely pre-rendered stuff, but still nice) mixed with really nice "pixel art". I think had programmers pushed the system like they did the Turbo/PCE, we could've seen many things on par with what the PS1 and Saturn offered just as you suggest. Zenki and MegaMan X4, for example, are quite similar graphically.

Trouble is, the system died an early death and most of the programmers focused on exploiting the FMV qualities of the console in making digital comics instead of 2D platformers or shooters.

[termis]

I don't know about the PCFX, even the most impressive 2D games on it aren't as impressive as Saturn and PSX 2D games.  The Saturn was a beast, although the PCFX definitely had the advantage in full screen video playback.

Well that depends. Do you mean the stock Saturn, or a Saturn with an MPEG card?

Well, I thought Saturn FMV using TrueMotion (Fighters Megamix, Virtual On, Last Bronx) didn't look half bad.  Too bad this wasn't used for most of their games.

Cinepak, on the other hand, was really quite horrible -- though there were a couple exceptions (Enemy Zero and Eve Series games).  I recall being pretty damn amazed by Playstation FMV after after having only played the Saturn for so long.

[Keranu]

Have you played Zenki? Zenki kind of hinted at what the PCFX might be capable of graphics-wise in a 2D platformer environment. There are some shots in that game you'd swear were polygons (most likely pre-rendered stuff, but still nice) mixed with really nice "pixel art". I think had programmers pushed the system like they did the Turbo/PCE, we could've seen many things on par with what the PS1 and Saturn offered just as you suggest. Zenki and MegaMan X4, for example, are quite similar graphically.

I've played Zenki and while it does indeed look very nice, I still stand by my statement. As Black_Tiger has posted before, Zenki looks a lot like a PCE game, except with some special effects like transparencies, FMV, etc... The colors and design themself though look really PCE-ish, not that it's a bad thing or anything, but Zenki probably had artists who have worked on PCE games. I think Zenki is just a small portion of what the PC-FX was capable of and I really hope to see further development for it so we can see some jaw dropping stuff.

[GUTS]

I've never played a Saturn with the MPEG card, but it seems like cheating to count that since it was an add-on.  The regular cinepak and trumotion were pretty lame compared to the PCFX and Playstation's video (I think even the 3D0 could do better full screen playback), that has always been my only complaint about the Saturn.  Play something like Solo Crisis on Saturn and be amazed at how bad FMV can look, which is totally weird because by the end of the Sega CD's life they were doing full-screen FMV that was only hampered by the Genesis's color palette, it seems like that tech would have carried over to the Saturn.

[FM-77]

I've never been a fan of in-game videos, at least not in older games (like PS1, etc), as the videos tend to look nothing like the actual game. I prefer the old-fashioned way: just the regular character sprites moving around automatically, talking, etc. or even PCE-esque picture-based "videos".

[Joe Redifer]

I don't understand why we're comparing FMV.  Do you guys actually like that shit?  Do you need medical attention?

[Keranu]

FMV is cool, but not important.

[termis]

^Agreed, by no means the most important thing, but better to have than not to have.

Or worse, to not have and keep on trying exploit it (aka Sega CD).

[FM-77]

So you're saying EVERY game should feature FMVs?

[termis]

Yup, that's what I mean - EVERY SINGLE one.  If the game doesn't have FMV, it sucks balls  . 

[Black Tiger]

Have you played Zenki? Zenki kind of hinted at what the PCFX might be capable of graphics-wise in a 2D platformer environment. There are some shots in that game you'd swear were polygons (most likely pre-rendered stuff, but still nice) mixed with really nice "pixel art". I think had programmers pushed the system like they did the Turbo/PCE, we could've seen many things on par with what the PS1 and Saturn offered just as you suggest. Zenki and MegaMan X4, for example, are quite similar graphically.

Trouble is, the system died an early death and most of the programmers focused on exploiting the FMV qualities of the console in making digital comics instead of 2D platformers or shooters.

Most of the graphics in Zenki FX look like PC Engine graphics. Like they were even using the PCE's pallete(kinda like the PCE'ish graphics in Kakutoden).

I think that a very similar looking port could've been made for PCE or that the PC-FX game may very well be a scrapped PCE game ported to PC-FX.

Of course, if you judge graphics not by the actual, you know, graphics, instead by layers like many people do, then Zenki FX is more of a Genesis game.

Well, I thought Saturn FMV using TrueMotion (Fighters Megamix, Virtual On, Last Bronx) didn't look half bad.  Too bad this wasn't used for most of their games.

Cinepak, on the other hand, was really quite horrible -- though there were a couple exceptions (Enemy Zero and Eve Series games).  I recall being pretty damn amazed by Playstation FMV after after having only played the Saturn for so long.

It really depends on the developer. Tengai Makyo IV uses Cinepak and its some of the very best quality fmv on PSX or Saturn(and its full screen).

[Keranu]

It would be a lot of fun to see any PC-FX game ported to PCE, though FMV-based ones like Battle Heat would be tricky.